Gazprom Neft announced that it had reactivated its third well, Bd1, at the Badra field located in Wassit Province in Eastern Iraq.
The Russian oil company is the operator at Badra field and the company said that "work will make it possible to determine the technical state of the well and subsequently test four productive strata at the site."
The Bd 1 well is 5,000 meters deep. The first appraisal well was drilled in November 2011, the second in January. Once investigation of the wells has been completed, the appraisal wells will become operational.
Drilling and seismic work
Three drilling rigs operate simultaneously on the site. During 2012, an additional four wells will be drilled, including a deep exploration well to study the lower strata at the deposit.
"The results of the drilling and seismic work carried out in 2011 will provide a better understanding of the site structure, and the final exploration plan will be drawn up in 2013," the company said.
International consortium
The international consortium working on Badra oil field comprises Gazprom Neft (30 per cent), Korea's Kogas (22.5 per cent), Petronas (15 per cent) and ТРАO (7.5 per cent).The Iraqi Government, represented by the Iraqi Oil Exploration Company (OEC) retains 25 per cent.
Production
First production at the deposit is planned for 2013. By 2017, production is expected to reach 170,000 bpd (about 8.5 million tonnes per year) and maintain at this level for seven years. In total 17 operational and five injection wells will be drilled.
